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The Lakers won it all 3 years ago last I checked that was within 5 years.

That was when they actually had assets to trade. The only way they're going to get value out of Gasol's deal is if they trade him during the season this year... and they might just have to use the stretch waiver provision on Nash, especially if he doesn't ever play again.

Dirk took less and well the Mavs haven't done much since their last title. They let Chandler go and others and brought in Lamar which was an epic fail.

So how did a paycut help them? Management matters here. The Spurs are a well oiled machine and the Big 3 in Miami well no need to explain them.

I just think its unrealistic to expect all players to take a paycut for the sake of winning especially since owners are so quick to dump their players the minute they are no longer useful.

You're right. MANAGEMENT MATTERS. The Lakers are basically blowing their opportunity to add another max-level free agent this summer, when there's going to be a bunch of good ones on the market. The only way they can add another $20M+ salary is if they dump Gasol altogether (and renounce their right to go over the cap to re-sign him) and either trade Nash or use the stretch provision on him so they take only about a $6M cap hit this summer. Basically, they have to blow their roster up to add one max-level guy and then they're going to have to piece together the rest of the roster with exceptions, unless they find takers in trades for Gasol and Nash (that still allow them cap space this summer).

Every single one of these problems would have gone away if Kobe would have taken $15M or less. But he is The Last Alpha Dog, after all.

Dirk got a 4-year, $80M contract when he was eligible for 5-years and close to $120M. And his taking less money helped Cuban afford the Chandler contract via trade, and let's not downplay the fact that DIRK TOOK LESS MONEY AND THE MAVERICKS IMMEDIATELY PUT TOGETHER A CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER. They made moves after that, that reflected Cuban's view of the new CBA, and those didn't go well. But that was a gamble Cuban took that didn't have a lot to do with Dirk's salary.

And you cited two brilliant examples of guys taking less money: The big three in San Antonio and again in Miami. Hammers the point home.

I'm watching the Warriors and Pelicans game and Jermaine O''neal is on fire tonight. He had those nice offensive moves in the post that reminded me how good he was 10 years ago for us. He really was so good all those years back then. It is a credit to him that he is still playing 17 years in the league and although he is inured a lot with different injuries, when he is healthy and still effective. But his defense is nowhere near like it was.

MVP: Can I say nobody? The Nets won but nearly choked it away late as everyone went cold. Andray Blatche, with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, gets it by default.

Defining moment: Following a terrible game, Rudy Gay hit a huge three with 23.7 seconds left, because of course he did. He then PASSED on the final possession ... for an Amir Johnson corner three. Cant predict ball.

LVP: Rudy Gay. Its unfortunate to have to pile on Gay right now but Tuesday was one of his worst games of the season. He finished with nine points on 3-of-12 shooting with seven turnovers.

Yeah, great game. This is how you draw up a final possession and they didn't even draw it up. The play just happened because they are able to get good looks.

And yeah, AD is a freak. If he stays away from injuries he will easily be the best PF in the game after Duncan retires.

I know this is crazy to say, but I think he becomes the best player in the NBA in 3 years. He just impacts the game in so many ways. Every single shot he changes and his offense gets better every time I see him he is just so talented.

If you think you've seen the Blazers looking at iPads on the bench during games, your eyes are not deceiving you. Multiple members of the team are indeed viewing game tape on the bench, during games, with an eye towards strategic adjustments.

A quick survey of Portland's key players on this subject produced some interesting results. Lillard, Matthews, Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge all said that they are using iPads for help during games. Interestingly, they are pursuing individual approaches when it comes to what footage they want to watch, and they also have personal preferences about when and how they view the on-demand footage.

Matthews and Aldridge were the biggest advocates of the new technology. Matthews told Blazersedge that he uses the tablet to examine plays on both sides of the ball. On his offensive touches, he's concerned with his shooting form, whether he's rushing his shots, and whether there were additional options available to him when the ball swings his way. On defensive plays, Matthews is checking for his stance, his spacing relative to his opponent, and how players are scoring on him.

Aldridge, by contrast, does not look at Portland's defensive possessions, instead reviewing the opposition's defensive coverages when he has the ball in the block or in isolation. Where are the double teams coming from? When do they come? Which of Portland's shooters are opponents choosing to leave open? What are his passing options? He sounded like a football quarterback or an offensive coordinator when describing this instant, in-game "reading the defense" process.

Both players painted the iPad study as a serious competitive advantage.

"It does [help] because you get to see it [again], and in the game everything happens so fast," Matthews, who finished with 17 points (on 6-for-14 shooting) and 6 rebounds, told Blazersedge. "You ask yourself, 'Did I rush it? I felt like I rushed it.' [The video can tell me] when I'm in that same situation -- off a flare screen, when Nic [Batum] passes over the top -- [if] I have more time to get the shot off or [if] I have to shoot it at that speed again. Or, could I have driven it?"

This video feedback comes almost in real time. Starters are able to watch sequences from their first shift when they check out for the first time, minimizing the delay from action to correction. What might once have been a "halftime adjustment" can now take place before a player checks back in during the second quarter.

"I get double-teamed a lot so I just have them put my double teams on there," Aldridge, who had 18 points (on 7-for-20 shooting) and 14 rebounds, told Blazersedge. "I want to see how they're double-teaming me, where they are coming from. Of course [it helps]. If I'm getting double-teamed and I can see how they're doing it, that helps me and all my teammates."

Lillard and Batum also use the quick-hitting footage, albeit with less regularity. Lillard said he prefers to watch the tape at halftime, while Batum, who finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, said that most of his videotape study comes before and after games. To my amusement, Batum said he enjoys looking over Aldridge's shoulder to watch whatever tape the All-Star forward is watching on the bench; anyone with younger siblings can relate to that phenomenon.

As a point guard, Lillard said there is plenty for him to digest, but he often saves the heavier lifting for next-day sessions or plane rides.

"[At halftime], I look at how they're playing pick-and-rolls, how I read something," Lillard told Blazersedge. "If one of the coaches is telling me, 'You looked here, but the wing was open,' I'll go back and look at those plays where they corrected me. I'll [also] go back and look at plays that I felt like I might have gotten fouled, to see if I was wrong. ... It's basically just watching film. You can watch film right now instead of tomorrow at practice. You can see what mistakes you might have made, you might be able to correct it in the second half. ... [It helps with the] adjustment process for a game."

We often hear that there's a saturation point when it comes to data, that too much information can be distracting or counterproductive. Information overload. Oh, really? These guys don't sound particularly over-saturated, do they? Next thing you know, they will be wearing Google Glass Sport Goggles and watching replays of their highlight dunks as they jog down back down the court.

Disclaimers: 1) These were all pretty quick exchanges about the iPad and 2) It's tough to remain totally objective on this issue as I am an iPad devotee. With those out of the way, I think even unbiased observers would listen to this sampling of direct feedback from players -- regardless of the actual tablet being used -- and conclude that they should be the stars in the next commercial campaign for Apple (or Microsoft, or Samsung).

The whole idea of the tablet is personalized, immediate, touch-based access to relevant information and multimedia content, right? Doesn't that describe exactly what is happening here?

And now that we're totally down this path, doesn't it seem like anyone that isn't doing this right now is already behind the times? Doesn't it seem absolutely ridiculous that the Blazers are using this approach when the Toronto Raptors have Rudy Gay banning boxscores from the post-game locker room because he thinks looking at stats can be a distraction and an impediment to teamwork?

Video tracking, shot charts, SportsVU data: All of that is theoretically available to active participants in a game within seconds of their return to the bench. Why look up to the jumbotron hoping for a replay of a dunk when you could watch it on YouTube? Why listen to hecklers on the road when you could pull up positive Twitter posts from friends and fans? The technology floodgates are so open that they could soon be invisible. How far can this go and when should the NBA start drawing the line?

That's actually an extremely interesting read. Using technology in order to see what they did wrong while on the bench and trying to fix it immediatedly sounds great. It allows them to adjust quicker than other teams and I wouldn't be surprised if this has contributed to their success this season.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

I know this is crazy to say, but I think he becomes the best player in the NBA in 3 years. He just impacts the game in so many ways. Every single shot he changes and his offense gets better every time I see him he is just so talented.

It could be possible. LeBron will be older then and bigs influence the game more than wings, imo.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

I know this is crazy to say, but I think he becomes the best player in the NBA in 3 years. He just impacts the game in so many ways. Every single shot he changes and his offense gets better every time I see him he is just so talented.

Not so quick there buddy, if the best player isn't LBJ or KD in three years, it will be a young man who plays SF on our team who will have some ring(s) by then.

I'm watching the Warriors and Pelicans game and Jermaine O''neal is on fire tonight. He had those nice offensive moves in the post that reminded me how good he was 10 years ago for us. He really was so good all those years back then. It is a credit to him that he is still playing 17 years in the league and although he is inured a lot with different injuries, when he is healthy and still effective. But his defense is nowhere near like it was.

I didn't see the game but was looking at this on the box scores earlier. It's nice to see J.O. still have a good game. It's hard to beleive that he's only 35 years old, with all the injuries and time in the league it seems like he should be close to 40.

I'm really surprised he has nagging injuries. Groin, knee, wrist, AND viral infection. Make sure you get all of that in the interview so the excuses come easier when the numbers aren't there. *checks calendar* Hmm, not even to December yet. I'll bet the grace of God doesn't carry him past the All-Star break.

I'm sure that once all of the injuries and virii disappear he'll be dominating again.

You guys give him so much crap, alot of his struggles with injuries here in Indy were due to the terrible training staff we had at the time. They couldn't keep anyone healthy back then. Dont know what has changed since, but the training staff is miles better in recent years.

You guys give him so much crap, alot of his struggles with injuries here in Indy were due to the terrible training staff we had at the time. They couldn't keep anyone healthy back then. Dont know what has changed since, but the training staff is miles better in recent years.

Which is why the head trainer during that time got the yearly NBA award that goes to the best trainer named after him, beause he was so terrible. (David Craig) He retired in 2005, and the trainer who took over him is the same guy today, who just won the best Trainer award last season. (Josh Corbeil)

You guys give him so much crap, alot of his struggles with injuries here in Indy were due to the terrible training staff we had at the time. They couldn't keep anyone healthy back then. Dont know what has changed since, but the training staff is miles better in recent years.

so....I was browsing through my library today, and I came across Game 1 of the 1998 playoffs, Spurs vs. Suns.

There's double significance of this game. It's the first ever playoff game for both Tim Duncan and Gregg Poppovich.

With Sean Elliott injured, Popp actually started Tim Duncan at small forward, with Perdue and Robinsion up front.

Even better, he cross-matched Duncan on to Jason Kidd. For the entire game.

Duncan held Kidd to 7/19 shooting, and The Spurs took game 1 in Phoenix.

The lesson here is both Popp and Duncan were special from the get-go. I can't imagine another coach with the balls to try that, or another 7-footer (a rookie no less!) that could have pulled it off.

Not many player would take it at Shaq in his prime. Duncan owned him whenever Shaq tried to guard him. I remember the Spurs coming into LA and kicking the poop out of Shaq and Kobe in 03 to win the West semis. They would go on to win it all. Simply a great team and the greatest post moves since McHale.

Waiters, whom the Cavaliers drafted with the No. 4 pick in 2012, has a contentious relationship with several teammates, including star point guard Kyrie Irving, and sources say he is open to being traded. In fact, though Waiters has not demanded a trade, he brought up the subject in a three-hour meeting last week with coach Mike Brown and general manager Chris Grant, according to sources.

The Cavaliers are looking to shake things up after a 4-10 start. Part of their problem has been the dysfunction in their locker room. Waiters, a 6-foot-4 guard, got into an altercation with forward Tristan Thompson during a players-only meeting after a 29-point loss to Minnesota on Nov. 13, sources said.

Sources described the following account:
Irving called the meeting after the game and every player spoke. When Waiters was given the floor, he criticized Thompson and Irving, accusing them of playing "buddy ball'' and often refusing to pass to him. Thompson took umbrage with Waiters' words and went back at him verbally. The two confronted each other but teammates intervened before it could escalate into a fight.

However, Waiters and Irving are not close. Waiters believes the Cavaliers have a double standard when it comes to Irving, sources said. Waiters feels that while Irving is allowed to get away with loafing defensively, making turnovers and taking bad shots, he is taken out of games for such things. Waiters has shared his views with Brown and Grant.

Waiters is slumping after a promising rookie season -- both his scoring and shooting percentage are down.

The obvious target from the Knicks would be Iman Shumpert, a player New York has talked about trading. But at present, the Knicks are not interested, a source said.
The Cavs are also interested in the Bulls' Luol Deng, who could become available now that Derrick Rose is out for the season.